Education sector is expanding very rapidly all over the world in recent years.

Globalization and digital revolution

has created a demand for new and varied disciplines in education. The cost of providing education has gone up
manifold due to better teaching methodologies and learning instruments with rising inflation worldwide. The brisk
increase in the number of institutions in higher education has led to an intense competition. Number of new
institutions has been established and enrolment is also on the rise (Isani & Virk, 2005). Students can get
information easily and instantly due to advancement in technology and globalization. In this competitive
environment only those institutions can excel which are providing quality education and constructive environment
to their students, since these factors can influence their choice of admission. Such factors can satisfy students to
their institutions and can affect their decisions to attend. Extensive research has been carried out studying the
factors which can effect the satisfaction and retention of students. Aldridge and Rowley (1998) articulate that
according to students’ point of view, good quality education provides better learning opportunities and suggest
that the levels of satisfaction or dissatisfaction strongly affect the student’s success or failure of learning. Deshields
et al (2005) state that higher education institutions are focusing on identifying and satisfying the needs and
expectations of their students. Such factors include student academic achievement, faculty performance,
classroom environment, learning facilities and institution reputation

The literature related to physical classroom environment has primarily focused on the impact of environment on
student attitudes and student achievement on the K-12 education level (Fisher 2001). Young et al (2003) stress the
importance of the physical environment and note that student achievement is impacted by such factors as lighting,
noise, and climate control. The authors also describe student perception of physical environment, noting that
students as young as elementary school age are aware of the physical attributes of their learning environment and
have a sense of whether the environment is appropriately updated and conducive to learning. Lyons (2001)
summarizes the importance of physical environment to educational achievement by detailing the existing links in
the research literature between classroom conditions and learning. The significant effect of classroom
environment on concentration levels, listening, and writing is supported by research results that have found higher
test scores and more positive student outlooks in upgraded learning environments. For example, Heschong (2003)
found window characteristics had as much power as number of computers or teacher characteristics in explaining
variations in student performance on standardized tests and Englebrecht (2003) found that classroom color was
important to student mood and productivity. In the university setting, researchers have recently examined the
components of upgraded, or “smart”, classrooms that may impact student learning. Griffin (1990) uses person-
environment interaction theory to describe the potential impact of physical design, visual factors, aural factors,
and physical stimulation on college students. Banning (1993) notes that the physical environment of the college
classroom can impact student learning by signaling desirable instructional behavior and by communicating the
level of formality that is expected in classroom interaction. Vartabedian (2002) details the computer technology,
audio visual components, and network structures that are typically included in classroom